The Rescuer
by 1FictionFanatic1
Summary: The curse is broken, and yet Emma is filled with a faint sense of loss. Mary Margaret is gone and has been replaced by Snow White, a mother Emma does not know how to love. It seems that, with everyone else completely changed, Regina is the only constant. SwanQueen, Emma/Regina


**Author's Note: I own nothing!**

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David pulls you to him, wraps his strong arms around you far too tightly, and plants several kisses on your forehead. It's sweet, heart-wrenching seeing a father reunited with his daughter after so many years.

But mostly it's just awkward, and pretty forced on your part, because you've just met "James" and you've never been the type to hug upon meeting someone. You shake hands, maybe, but usually you don't.

It takes almost all of your willpower not to shove him off of you and ask him to keep his distance.

Snow has joined the hug by now and is running her fingers gently through your hair (far too gently to be Mary Margaret) and crying softly against your shoulder.

"We found you," Snow breathes, a sort of sad mixture of relieved and devastated. It reeks of something too maternal, too sentimental for your taste, and it's all too much, then.

You squirm out of their embrace and offer them a polite smile.

"Guys…we really should figure out what that smoke-"

And then someone is shouting, something about the townspeople gathering around the Mills estate looking for revenge, and suddenly Gold and his evil plans seem rather unimportant.

…

Regina actually rolls her eyes when she catches sight of you pushing through the crowd. She's powerless, about to me burned alive by the townspeople, and she rolls her eyes at the only person willing to save her.

She's unbelievable.

You're not sure how many times you've come to Regina's rescue, but you _are_ sure that she's never been even the slightest bit grateful to you. Hey, maybe it's all an act, maybe she does appreciate it, maybe she cares…but more likely she doesn't, and that used to really bother you.

Right now it's the only thing keeping you sane.

Because she's Regina, the one you know, the Regina who has an unbelievable knack for getting under your skin and making you want to scream or shout or do something else entirely. You suddenly feel very relaxed, and the more Regina's eyes bore a hole into the back of your head, the more at ease you feel.

So you stand between Regina (who is still dressed to the nines and wearing the most impractical pair of four inch heels she owns) and Dr. Whale, who of course isn't really Dr. Whale, and defend the person who has ruined not only your life, but everybody else's as well.

You do it for Henry, of course, because she's his mother.

But it feels like you're doing it for yourself.

….

It turns out Mr. Gold hasn't changed much either, which actually kind of freaks you out.

He's cryptic, slimy, conniving…all that is disconcerting, sure. But he's also unpredictable, always seems a step and a jump ahead of everyone else, which is really super frightening.

He's sent something after Regina, some kind of mythical magical creature you've never heard of and kind of don't believe in, but you're worried just the same.

Snow's arm slips through yours as you both walk ahead of James towards the sheriff's office. She seems to crave any kind of contact with you, tries to hold your hand every chance she gets.

It's sweet, logically you know it's meant to be sweet. But it feels creepy and uncomfortable and you would much rather have a pair of deep, dark eyes glaring into yours than have Snow's arms anywhere near your body.

….

The moment the wraith is gone, you're at Regina's side, helping her to her feet. She doesn't shove you off of her, doesn't make a snide remark, and that worries you.

You stand close to her (not any closer than you usually do) and wait for her to catch her breath. The air in the room is somehow colder, like the wraith sucked all of the warmth right out of it. But Regina's arm is warm when you reach out to steady her and you find yourself holding onto her longer than you'd intended.

"It won't stop until it devours its prey," Regina rasps (shakily, you think). "Me."

She looks genuinely afraid when James refuses to help protect her. You quickly cut him off with a simple,

"She's not dying."

Snow looks impressed by you, proud that you won't allow another human being to perish, regardless of what she's done to your family. You want her to stop looking at you like you're oh so wonderful when you're really just a terrible daughter.

Not only are you saving Regina, the woman who enacted the curse, but you care more about her than you do James and Snow. It's awful, you know, but it's the truth.

You try to reason with yourself, tell yourself that it's because you know Regina, because she's Henry's other mother, because you're used to her. But it's really because of something you can't quite explain.

Regina is staring at you right now, almost appreciatively, and suddenly the air in the room doesn't feel so icy.

…

"Did Henry really ask you to protect me?" Regina asks, eying you carefully, searching for any signs of dishonesty. You nod.

"Yeah."

She smiles at you then, and it's real, as far as you can tell. It's pretty, too, makes her look ages younger. Makes her look like someone you'd want to have around, always.

"Jefferson's hat!" you practically shout, startling Regina just slightly.

She says that she doesn't know what you're talking about. She lies, very transparently, to your face.

And the expression on her face is so Regina, so painfully "Mayor Mills", that you actually break out into a smile.

You kiss her then, softly, and she kisses back like it's the last time she's ever going to see you.

Her lips taste like apples.

….

When you hold onto her arm, securely, her magic suddenly starts to work. It means something, you think, something important, but there isn't really time to dwell on that.

When the portal opens, the wraith dives towards Regina. She probably has it under control, you figure. She's got her powers back, after all.

But she's the only bit of reality you've got left, the only constant in this whole mess of confusion, and you're sort of terrified of losing her.

So when the wraith moves towards her, you do the noble thing; you push her aside and fall into the portal in her place.


End file.
